Prince Caspian Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion.
Author: Ernie Malik
Publisher: HarperOne

ISBN-13: 978-0061435607

Summary of the book:

The film adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia are some of the most anticipated movies ever. Ernie Malik looks at the making of the second film in the series, “Prince Caspian”. From preproduction, to filming to post production this book goers every aspect of the filming of the movie, complete with exclusive behind the scenes photos from the movie.

Review of the book:

It was almost a given that with the success of the first film in the Narnia series, that a second would follow. This book looks at the making of the film and is great not only for film buffs interested in the process, but for fans of Narnia who want to know more about their new favorite movie.

The book begins with forwards from Andrew Adamson, Douglas Gresham and Mark Johnson. Appropriately it concludes with an afterward by newcomer Ben Barnes, who plays the titular prince. These forwards and afterwards are very inviting and welcoming and immerse you in the action of the film making process and make you eager for not only Prince Caspian, but for the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

As expected the book has many biographies on the cast and crew, complete with great photos. This includes some amazing shots of Will, Anna, Skander and Georgie, who, in my opinion are looking more and more like Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and less like a bunch of actors and actresses chosen to play them.

Readers discover that the four young stars didn’t let their success on the first film go to their heads. What’s more these kids are clearly very good friends with each other, which will help so much in their performances in the film.

The new cast member profiles as just as enjoyable as the ones on the returning cast members. Ben Barnes recounts how he became the “fifth Pevensie” and fit right into their already jelled group of friends. This is great news for us fans when we go to the movie. If he can’t fit into the mix, then the movie would be a bust, but if he seems natural with them, the magic can continue. He even recounts how he grew so close to them that at times Will grew angry at him as it seemed Ben was usurping his role as Georgie’s on set older brother.

Warwick Davis recounts his work on the BBC Narnia films and how much he enjoys being back working on Narnia. There’s even a humorous anecdote about how on his first day on set, Howard Berger, blasted the Ewok theme from Return of the Jedi ( Davis played Wicket, the main Ewok who befriends Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) over the speakers on set to welcome him.

The book goes into full detail about the whole production process from making the props and costumes to designing the creatures. They continually emphasis how everything in Prince Caspian should feel more “used” and “worn out” as opposed to how new and fresh it all felt in the first film.

Casting is described to be just as hard as it was with the first film. The hardest character to design and cast ended up being Reepicheep who was cast at the time the book was being finished. From what we’ve scene already in trailers and sneak peaks, when you read this book, you’ll be glad they did.

The behind the scenes photos are visually stunning and at times are funny to see. You’ll see things like tennis balls, or fake lion heads standing in for creatures like Reepicheep or Aslan. There’s even one of the four Pevensies standing on their marks at the ruins of Cair Paravel, with Anna and Georgie in very modern sandals. In the case of Georgie, they are a clearly oversized pair of sandals.

And of course, lest I forget, our own Paul Martin is mentioned in the Special Thanks section in the back of the book as he helped contribute some information for the book.

This books is nothing short of an exciting look at the magic behind the magic of the Prince Caspian film. It was well written, well researched, the photos were great and in short it had everything you need in a “behind the scenes book.”It is certainly well worth the read. However, when you buy it, make sure to read it after you see the film. There is plenty of juicy spoiler info inside. One thing becomes more sure after reading this book, you will want them to make the rest of the series.

Five out of five shields.

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Disney is currently working on a new trailer for Prince Caspian. The trailer will be finished for launch sometime near the opening of the film.

It will include new VFX shots and characters – stuff that we haven’t seen before. It’s something that Disney is creating for the fans. It’s going to really tease us all. There is currently no word on what film it might be attached to.

Stay tuned to NarniaFans.com for more about this new trailer.

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Today HarperCollins Children’s Books announces the launch of its “Read It Before You See It” global digital campaign for C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The massive web presence focuses attention on the seven books in the series as a lead in to the Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media release of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ film on May 16, 2008.

You can find their Facebook Fan Page here

HarperCollins and online agency Special Ops Media (http://www.specialopsmedia.com) are taking Narnia to where the readers live-online, working together to create a viral campaign that takes a 50-year-old classic brand to Web 2.0.

Extensive promotions on Facebook and MySpace, a custom Prince Caspian widget and “Enter to Win” consumer contests are among the Web 2.0 initiatives that will reach new and existing fans of Narnia in surprising interactive ways, presenting an enhanced look at the beloved world that is Narnia.

“Our comprehensive, highly-targeted “Read It Before You See It” online campaign allows us to leverage all our Narnia assets to create interactive, viral platforms. These will expand our audience by further engaging it and increasing its user-experience with the franchise, to grow readership in advance of the film,” said Diane Naughton, Vice President of Marketing, HarperCollins Children’s Books.

The Narnia “Read It Before You See It” campaign includes:

– Extensive promotion on social community sites Facebook and MySpace; including profiles for Prince Caspian and Narnia.
– A custom widget for MySpace with streaming daily content: movie info, trivia quiz and a countdown clock.
– A special application for Facebook-the Narnia Trivia Challenge- utilizing new technology. Fans can “join the battle” with Prince Caspian as one of their favorite Narnians, answer up to 100 questions, unlock unique content, and challenge a friend to beat their score.
– “Read It Before You See It” dedicated microsite, http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/narnia features a sweepstakes, games, information about the books, author, illustrator and much more.
– “Read It Before You See It” “Enter to Win” consumer contest (March 11th-April 11th)
– Grand Prize: 2 tickets to the NYC premier of Prince Caspian the movie.
– 1st Prize: A Narnia treasure chest filled with Narnia books, games, toys, plush, costumes.
– 2nd Prize: A complete library of Prince Caspian movie tie-in books.
– 3rd Prize: A Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Wii video game.
– Online advertising on nick.com and nickjr.com (1,080,000 impressions).
– NeoPets.com interactive game: “Which character are you?” for kids on NeoPets.com with advertising and links to the microsite, trailer and special features.
– Multiple partnerships with major online portals beginning with Yahoo! Kids (4 million unique visitors each month) to feature e-cards from the Pevensie children, and KOL, the kids division of America Online, (1.2 unique visitors each month) which will offer a read-a-long of a chapter a week with prizing.

In 2005, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ film was a huge success, earning more than $750 million worldwide, second only to ‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’ as the top box office that year. Disney’s own research showed that the Narnia books were clearly a major driver of ticket sales-with the release of the movie HarperCollins sold more than 17 million units in the U.S. alone.

Clive Staples Lewis, known as Jack to his friends, was born in 1898. Lewis and his good friend J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, were part of the Inklings, an informal writers’ club that met at a local pub to discuss story ideas. Lewis’s fascination with fairy tales, myths, and ancient legends, coupled with inspiration drawn from his childhood, led him to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the best-loved books of all time. Six further books followed to become the immensely popular The Chronicles of Narnia. The final title in the series, The Last Battle, was awarded the Carnegie Medal, one of the highest marks of excellence in children’s literature.

HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures-Charlotte’s Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics-A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors and Fancy Nancy. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. You can visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at http://www.harpercollins.com.

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Following overwhelming consumer and media response of Blu-ray technology being the leading format of choice for home entertainment – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Panasonic Electronics today announce the official extension of Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour to visit seven additional North American cities in 2008. The announcement was made by Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, sponsored by Panasonic, will continue to educate consumers across the country about the leading, state-of-the-art high-definition home entertainment technology through hands-on interactive kiosks, product demonstrations, and a special presentation theater where consumers can experience first-hand the amazing capabilities of Blu-ray Hi-Def. The tour extension will commence in Toronto, Canada beginning January 24 and continue on to six additional locations across the nation.

“Last year, thousands of consumers in each market stopped by our Blu-ray Tour exhibit to better educate themselves on the Blu-ray format and its numerous technological advancements,” stated Bob Chapek, president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. “The success of this interactive and educational vehicle helped clear up many misperceptions about high-definition in general. With that said, we are thrilled to be able to extend the tour into 2008.”

Disney’s 2008 Magical Blu-ray Tour will feature exciting first-look opportunities in each market including: previews of upcoming title releases, Finding Nemo and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; live demonstrations where consumers will get first-hand experience playing the interactive “Gusteau’s Gourmet Game” from Ratatouille, “Car Finder Game” from Disney/Pixar’s Cars, “Bowler Hat Barrage” from Meet The Robinsons; as well as experience a virtual tour of “Enter the Maelstrom” from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The Tour helps bring this to life via six interactive stations showcasing all aspects of the Blu-ray Disc technology and a special mini-theater that hosts hourly live presentations on Blu-ray high-definition technology.

“As a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art home entertainment products, we are honored to be part of an exhibit that helps bring context to consumers who want to learn more about the functionality and advantages of Blu-ray,” shared Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, vice president corporate development at Panasonic and general manager of its Blu-ray Disc Group. “By setting up demo stations using Panasonic VIERA HDTVs and Blu-ray players that feature exclusive Blu-ray Disc content, consumers can truly get a feel for what Blu-ray is all about and how it will work in their own home. It’s an activity and technology the whole family will enjoy.”

Mall Tour Schedule

Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, sponsored by Panasonic, will be open in all locations during regular mall hours from Friday – Sunday, with a special preview for the media on Friday mornings. The exhibits will be hosted by experts from both Disney and Panasonic, who will be available to answer questions about the technical aspects of Blu-ray and content featured on Disney Blu-ray Discs.

The first stop will be to Toronto, Canada the weekend of January 25th and continue on to Hartford, Raleigh-Durham, Nashville, Dallas, Denver and conclude with Chicago at Unity 2008 Conference in July.

MALL … LOCATION … EVENT DATES
Yorkdale Shopping Center … Toronto, Canada … January 25-27
Westfarms Mall … Farmington, CT … February 15-18
Triangle Town Center … Raleigh, NC … February 22-24
Cool Springs Galleria … Nashville, TN … February 28 – March 1
North East Mall … Hurst, TX … March 7-9
Flat Iron Crossing … Denver, CO … March 14-16
UNITY 2008 Convention … Chicago, IL … July 23-27

Mall Tour Sweepstakes

Guests who visit Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour can register for a chance to win one of the following three prizes: (1) Complete Hi-Def Home Entertainment Center – two winners will be drawn to win a complete Blu-ray Home Entertainment Package comprised of a Panasonic 50” HDTV, a Panasonic Blu-ray Disc player and a set of 10 Blu-ray Discs from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; (2) Blu-ray Player & Movies – five winners will be drawn to win a Sony Playstation®3 and a set of two Blu-ray Discs from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; (3) Blu-ray Movies – ten winners will be drawn to win a set of five Blu-ray Discs from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends July 27th. Entries will be compiled from six markets, excluding Toronto, Canada, and winners will be selected in August of 2008. For information on the official rules, send a self addressed stamped envelope to: Blu-ray Magical Mall Tour Sweepstakes, Attn: Rules Request, P.O. Box 72382, Rockford, MN 55572.

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In a pre-CES press release, Disney has unveiled their expected upcoming Blu-ray releases through the summer. While the list is by no means complete, it does give us a good indication of what to look for in the coming months.

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release strategy, WDSHE will be announcing the addition of many exciting movie titles to their 2008 Blu-ray line-up in North America, Europe and Asia. ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe‘ has once again been put on the Blu-ray release list for May, which should be released around the May 16th theatrical release of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian‘.

North America
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Spring)

Europe/Australia
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (May)

Japan
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (May)

Press Release:

WDSHE Expands Blu-ray Line-Up with First Platinum Blu-ray Release, BD-Live and Full Motion Picture-in-Picture

Also Announces the Extension of Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour

BURBANK, Calif.–(Business Wire)–Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) announces an exciting new line-up of Blu-ray initiatives in 2008, an ever-expanding Blu-ray slate and new technological-advancements in bonus feature materials, all which guarantee a superior high-definition home entertainment experience.

“This is an exciting time for Disney as we not only announce the release of our first Platinum Disney animated classic on Blu-ray with Sleeping Beauty, but also allow consumers to create an entirely new home entertainment experience with stunning new bonus features and amazing interactive capabilities like never before seen,” stated Bob Chapek, President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

For the first time ever, WDSHE will begin releasing its treasured animated classics on Platinum Edition Blu-ray Disc(TM) launching with Sleeping Beauty in the fall of 2008. Taking advantage of the numerous technological advancements of the Blu-ray format, these all time favorites have been revitalized to include exceptional high-definition picture and sound quality and compelling interactive content such as virtual games, full motion picture-in-picture and online shopping capabilities via BD-Live broadband connection.

Sleeping Beauty will be WDSHE’s first Platinum Edition Blu-ray Disc and will feature a Virtual Castle, utilizing the new BD-Live technology, as well as the interactive game Maleficent’s Challenge which puts viewers face-to-face with one of Disney’s greatest villains. Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Disc will also feature an all-new enhanced home theater mix in 7.1 surround sound.

Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo Blu-ray Disc will debut the first Cine-Explore featuring full motion picture-in-picture (BonusView). This interactive visual commentary with director Andrew Stanton, co-writer Bob Peterson and co-director Lee Unkrich allows the viewer to dive deeper into the making of Finding Nemo without ever leaving the film. For kids and families, there is the all-new BD-Java enabled learning mode “Mr. Ray’s Ed-venture.” Hosted by Dory, Marlin and of course Mr. Ray, viewers will learn all about sea life and have the opportunity to earn stickers for their virtual sticker book by answering “quizlettes” while watching the movie. Viewers can also go to their sticker book at any time and create their own scene. Finding Nemo will also feature an all-new enhanced home theater mix in 7.1 surround sound.

As part of its continued worldwide Blu-ray release strategy, WDSHE will be announcing the addition of many exciting movie titles to their 2008 Blu-ray line-up in North America, Europe and Asia.

In North America, WDSHE will be releasing new theatrical titles to Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD including The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) on January 22; Gone Baby Gone and Becoming Jane (both Miramax) on February 12; and Dan In Real Life (Touchstone Pictures) on March 11. WDSHE will expand its catalogue titles on Blu-ray Disc with the releases of The Rock (Hollywood Pictures) and Con Air (Touchstone Pictures) on January 8; Crimson Tide (Hollywood Pictures) on February 5; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) on March 4; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Coyote Ugly: The Double Shot Edition (Touchstone Pictures), Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector’s Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in spring 2008.

In Europe/Australia, WDSHE will roll out Blu-ray Discs in 2008 beginning with The Recruit (Touchstone Pictures) in January; and Dark Water (Touchstone Pictures) in February; Underdog (Walt Disney Pictures) and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in February; Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures) in March; Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures) and Gone Baby Gone (Miramax) in April; Signs (Touchstone Pictures), There Will Be Blood (Miramax), Shall We Dance (Miramax), Ladder 49 (Touchstone Pictures), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector’s Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and The Game Plan (Walt Disney Pictures) and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

Japan will see WDSHE release Blu-ray titles starting with Hollywoodland (Miramax) in February; The Rookie (Walt Disney Pictures), Hidalgo (Touchstone Pictures), Meet The Robinsons (Walt Disney Pictures), and Starsky & Hutch (Buena Vista) in April; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures), Coyote Ugly (Touchstone Pictures) and National Treasure: Collector’s Edition (Walt Disney Pictures) in May; and Unbreakable (Touchstone Pictures) and Signs (Touchstone Pictures) in summer 2008.

Following overwhelming consumer response WDSHE is also announcing the extension of Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, sponsored by Panasonic, to eight additional North American cities. The first stop will be to Toronto, Canada the weekend of January 25th and continue on to Nashville, Denver, Dallas, Raleigh-Durham, Hartford and conclude with Chicago at Unity 2008 in July.

The results of the 2007 tour not only reaffirmed consumers’ continued desires for high-definition picture without compromise but reaffirmed the need to be educated on how to achieve the ultimate high-definition home entertainment experience beyond just owning an HDTV.

About Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

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FILMMAKERS have cast their eyes over the Redlands for potential locations in the next Narnia movie.

Redland Shire Council this week revealed Disney Pictures was interested in using Cleveland Point or Wellington Point in its production of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is expected to be filmed next year.

The Australian Film and Television Commission, which was involved in the location scouting, has refused to confirm any details because no arrangements have been finalized.

However, a report presented to the council’s planning and policy committee meeting on Wednesday said the film’s producer, director and key staff visited Wellington Point and Cleveland Point in September to look at sites.

The report said if Cleveland Point was used, a 60m long by 50m wide pier would have to be constructed, along with a 20m wide by 40m ramp.

The Dawn Treader set, a 40m vessel, would be attached to the pier.

Filming would take place between June and September and about 400 production crew would provide a boost to the local economy, the council report said.

Any damage to the parks would be “fully repaired” by Disney at the end of shooting.

Read the rest at Bayside Bulletin

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As a result of a global broadcast and online launch effort, the theatrical trailer for Walt Disney Pictures’ and Walden Media’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is poised to capture the largest worldwide audience ever for a theatrical trailer debut with over 400 million viewers, it was announced by Mark Zoradi, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group.

The trailer launch commences on the evening of Tuesday, December 4, with its initial debut during Entertainment Tonight which reaches a nationwide audience of more than 7 million viewers. Immediately following the US broadcast, over 375 million international fans will view the trailer in a synchronized broadcast and online effort in over 60 countries across the globe. International broadcast highlights include an audience of over 6 million Britons for GMTV’s morning show, over 2.5 million French for M6’s Cine Six, over 1 million Germans for Pro Seiben’s evening news, over 11 million Japanese for Mezamashi TV and over 19 million Russians for NTV’s “Glavnyi Gerio.”

Online, Disney is debuting the trailer in a completely unique way that has never been done before. In an effort to reward the faithful fans, who have been the biggest champions of the Narnia movies, Disney has orchestrated a simultaneous, fan-driven launch of the trailer on all Narnia fan sites — from Narnia Web and Narnia Fans, to all Narnia groups on social media communities like Facebook and MySpace. “We saw an unparalleled volume of discussion online for the trailer, and this was an opportunity to give these loyal fans a chance to be among the first in the world to view it, take ownership of it and spread it amongst their family and friends,” said Mark Zoradi.

In addition to the first of its kind fan experience, Yahoo is debuting the trailer exclusively in high definition. Internationally, top internet placement was negotiated with key online partners including Yahoo, MSN, MTV, Jetix and Orange in tandem with the domestic launch, making it a truly global online debut.

Commenting on the experience, Mark Zoradi said, “The anticipation and enthusiasm for this film is unprecedented. Viewers across the globe will experience this trailer virtually simultaneously. The event exceeds our wildest expectations. I am proud of our team’s ongoing efforts on behalf of coordinating the worldwide trailer launch for ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,’ and I am thankful for the cooperation of all of our partners worldwide who are helping to make this an incredibly successful endeavor.”

In “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the four Pevensie children – Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edward (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) – are summoned back to the magical land of talking animals and mythical creatures, where they discover that more than a thousand Narnian years have passed since their last adventure and much has changed. The White Witch may be dead, but Narnia is under the sway of a tyrannical new ruler, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and the Pevensies must unite with the young Prince Caspian (played by British actor Ben Barnes) in an attempt to restore peace and harmony to the once happy land.

The new film reunites the original creative team behind the blockbuster first film including veteran director / screenwriter / producer Andrew Adamson, screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and producers Mark Johnson and Philip Steuer. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is the second installment of the seven book series. The film opens worldwide in May 2008.

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Comic-Con 2007, complete with all of the exclusive news and footage descriptions – the first look any audience has received from the next exciting chapter in the fantasy adventure series!

Richard Taylor, from Weta Workshop was the first to take the stage, carrying two swords (Glenstorm and Edmund swords) – the Centaur sword was nearly as tall as him!

He introduced the panel which included Mark Johnson (producer), Howard Berger (creature effects), Isis Mussenden (costume designer) and Dean Wright (visual FX supervisor). They all flew 24 hours from across the globe to be at Comic-Con to give an enthusiastic audience their first look at the action-packed film.

Andrew Adamson (director) was then introduced via satellite with a few minor technical difficulties. A gorgeous new conceptual look at King Miraz’s castle appeared in the background (the same image graced the Narnia goody bags that were seen throughout the con). Andrew amusingly passed the time by attempting to communicate by “signing” with the audience. Once his sound was corrected he greeted the fans and asked the panel of behind-the-scenes artists “What are you doing there? We need you for shooting!”

Currently on day 106 of shooting, he said he was glad that they were able to share a little more, a little earlier in the process than their last appearance at Comic-Con in 2005 for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

He discussed the difficulty in adapting Caspian vs. the first film due to its non-linear, less cinematic structure of the story.  As an example, he said they’ve expanded upon Lewis’ text like “Caspian…made many sorties…” by embellishing the battles.

Andrew then announced that the audience would be seeing a pre-viz (an animated storyboard) of one of those expanded scenes – an exciting raid on Miraz’s castle.  The footage is described from memory, but here are some of the highlights…

The footage starts with a gryphon flying through the air, carrying what looked like Edmund in its talons.  The air is foggy, probably providing some much needed cover for this daring raid.  The camera swoops dramatically, following Edmund and the gryphon as they descend into the castle walls.

The shot widens to reveal more gryphons carrying what looked like Susan, Peter and others as well.  This was very cool and unique to see the characters working in tandem with the gryphons for an aerial invasion!  There is a quick cut to a battle line of Narnian creatures advancing slowly on the castle – perhaps the Pevensies must get in first to neutralize Telmarine guards and allow these troops to penetrate the castle from the ground?

The gryphon carrying Edmond noiselessly approaches upon a castle turret, with Edmond slicing a Telmarine guard in mid-air.  He the signals to the others using his flashlight!  Another gryphon with Susan in its grip flies into the courtyard, and Susan reaches into her quiver and in a spectacular mid-flight shot sends an arrow through another Telmarine guard.

Reepicheep and his band of courageous mice enter the courtyard through a gutter.

Reepicheep takes out a Telmarine guard.

At this point, the mission is still being undertaken stealthily.  The Pevensies and their cohorts have yet to alert the larger Telmarine forces to their presence.

The sequence ended with much applause from the audience.  Even in its rough, conceptual form this promises to be a suspenseful and spectacular action set piece, very creative in its execution.

Andrew then took the opportunity to discuss the story and how the film is shaping up in comparison to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”  He said that King Miraz and the Telmarines have taken over Narnia, and the Pevensies return to a much more savage place then what they remembered.  The film promises to be bigger, grittier and more epic in its scope than the first film.  This was reflected in the footage glimpsed from the next video – the tone is definitely darker and moodier than the first film.  It really feels dangerous – like the stakes have been raised significantly for our heroes.

The next piece of footage was a behind the scenes look at the filming of “Prince Caspian,” and it included the very first looks at characters in costume and finished scenes from the movie!

It starts with behind the scenes footage of various craftsmen (Richard Taylor wielding an axe in his workshop) and a room filled with conceptual drawings of Dwarfs.

Andrew Adamson narrates the footage.  Here are some of the nuggets he offered, along with descriptions of the shots in the film – like the pre-viz they came fast and furious, so here’s the best guess of everything we saw.

• “Prince Caspian” brings the four Pevensies back to the world of Narnia.  Thirteen hundred years have passed and the world they knew no longer exists.
• Footage – Pevensies on the beach in their school uniforms.
• Footage – Overhead view of the Cair Paravel ruins.
• Footage – Peter sword fighting in a courtyard at night.
• The character of Caspian features into the next three stories.
• Concept art – Trufflehunter
• Concept art – Reepicheep (this garnered some hearty applause from the audience)
• In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” the action was a button on the end of the film where in “Prince Caspian” the action is more inherent to the story.  There are battles throughout the film.
• Footage – The Pevensies with Trumpkin (he looks perfect!) in a boat.  Looked like they were traveling up river.
• Footage – Overview shot of a big skirmish in the Castle courtyard (very dark tone)
• Footage – Though his back is to the camera, it looks like Peter is fighting Miraz.  Miraz is decked out in spectacular bronzed armor with an intimidating battle face plate.
• Andrew said he always wanted the battle to include different fighting styles for the various creatures.  In “Caspian” we’re now able to see how fauns fight differently from minotaurs, and centaurs and gryphons…
• Pre-Viz Footage – a faun running along a balcony ledge, jumping from the railing to the wall and slashing through soldiers in mid-air.  This gave an example of what Andrew is looking to do with various fighting styles – it was fluid, fierce and acrobatic.  Very cool stuff!!
• Pre-Viz Footage – gryphons lift up Dwarfs (as though they were arming themselves with weapons!) and dive vertically down the face of a cliff.
• Footage – Pevensies climbing down a deep gorge.
• Footage – Susan fights a Telmarine with one arm, while hooking another soldier around the neck with her bow.  It appears she’s become a much more accomplished warrior!
• Footage – medium shot of Miraz in full bronze battle armor.  Looks awesome!!
• Footage – Peter does an impressive running horse mount,
• Footage – a column of charging Telmarines on horseback.
• Footage – a beautiful wide shot of soldiers running towards the Bridge of Beruna.
• Footage – a quick shot of an enraged Miraz without his helmet/face plate, revealing our first look at Sergio Castellitto in character.
• Footage – Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin in shackles.
• Footage – Peter fighting a creature (a hag?)
• Footage – final shot of the Pevensies in Aslan’s How, standing solemnly before the stone table.

After the footage came the big surprise of the panel – our first introduction to Caspian himself, Ben Barnes!  The satellite camera pulled back to reveal Ben Barnes, who looked overjoyed (despite the fact that it was the middle of the night for Andrew and Ben!) to be a part of this special unveiling for the fans.

Richard Taylor then led a Q&A.  Here are some additional bits of news and information revealed from the panel discussion.

• Dean Wright – biggest challenge is creating a performance that is emotional.  He’s currently working on the gryphons for the castle raid.
• Ben Barnes – finds it challenging interacting with Reepicheep.
• Mark Johnson – as long as the fans keep embracing the films, the plan is to make all seven.  They finish “Caspian” in three weeks and start shooting “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” at the end of January/beginning of February.
• Andrew Adamson – said he couldn’t imagine not being involved in the remaining films, though this is his last turn at the director’s chair.
• Andrew Adamson – in response to a question about whether there will be a consistent look and feel throughout the films, Andrew said that they will maintain continuity by looking to the books, but bearing in mind that each of the books are completely different stories.
• Howard Berger – very excited about taking the design of two species further in particular – the Dwarfs and the Satyrs (where he was able to break the human form).
• Andrew Adamson – told a story about shooting a scene with Anna and Will where Aslan tells their characters that they won’t come back to Narnia.  This was a very emotional sequence since it reflected the fact this is the last time Anna and Will be a part of the films.
• Isis Mussenden – everyone on set has formed a strong family bond especially Georgie, Skandar, Anna and Will who are brothers and sisters now.
• Dean Wright – there are two huge epic battles that he’s working on, including the castle raid, new creatures (which he couldn’t reveal), and a river god who comes to life and helps turn the table on the Telmarines.
• Richard Taylor – took his family to Prague and his son met Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian in full costume.  Ben treated his son as though he were in the presence of royalty, creating a fun and wonderful illusion for him.
• Mark Johnson – it was easy to get everyone back who worked on the first film because of the great atmosphere and camaraderie.  The big challenge has been that each Narnia story is vastly different from the preceding and following stories.  He said that “Caspian” is darker and contains more action but is still connected thematically and though it is very much its own film, it is still very much a part “of the quilt that C.S. Lewis wove so beautifully.”
• Howard Berger – brought the head of a Satyr (named Tyrus).  It looked much different than the satyrs of the first film.  The horns were curvier, the face looked more animalistic and it had an “old-soul” feel to it.  He did a servo demonstration, showing the remote-controlled movement of the eyebrows and mouth.  Howard also mentioned that his experience this time was even more enriching because he was able to create more detail and variation within each specie.  The creatures in the first film were designed with the age of 30 in mind, but for “Caspian” there will be ranges and different degrees in age, gender, body size, etc.
• Isis Mussenden & Richard Taylor – the scope is 4 times the size of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”  300,000 pieces of armor were created.

At this point in the presentation a Telmarine soldier took the stage in full battle armor.  Isis and Richard went on to explain the look of the Telmarine.  The Telmarines descended from pirates and their look was meant to reflect a barbaric race, with Mediterranean, Tibetan, first century Spanish and fourth century Greek influences.

Richard said that they built over two and a half thousand swords, but that the most beautiful piece that he constructed was Miraz’s armor.  The rich bronze armor incorporates the different cultural influences mentioned above, and it is also emblazoned with pictographs of Telmarine history.

Howard Berger ended the panel with a special treat for a select few fans – he tossed two types of crew t-shirts into the crowd.  One had a low-tech hand-drawn stick figure of Prince Caspian, while the other had a photo of a 70s style centaur – very funny stuff!

That’s it!  The presentation revealed a lot of cool information, and definitely served to wet the appetite for more – a delicious hors d’oeuvre to hold us over for the main course next May!!

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If you’re going to the Comic-Con in San Diego this year, and plan on attending the Disney/Pixar presentation on Saturday, please e-mail us a report of the presentation so that we can post it here in the news. Here, you can find the details of where and when the presentation is. WALL•E will also be presented, which looks fantastic as well.

2:15-4:00 Walt Disney Pictures and Disney•Pixar showcase two upcoming films with this exclusive Comic-Con presentation!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian — Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present never-before-seen footage and a Q&A panel with the filmmakers of the second installment of the epic fantasy adventure series! Be sure to collect the exclusive Prince Caspian Comic-Con poster, designed by fans on Narnia.com, and selected by director Andrew Adamson!

WALL•E — From Academy Award–winning director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), WALL•E is the story of one robot’s comic adventures as he chases his dream across the galaxy. Meet director Andrew Stanton and sound designer Ben Burtt (Star Wars) as they present a first look at Disney·Pixar’s next animated adventure! Hall H

[Full Comic-Con Saturday Schedule]

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Walt Disney Pictures has sent us the official plot synopsis of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It should be no secret if you’ve read the book, but for those that thrive on spoiler material, here you go.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

Release Date: May 16, 2008
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: TBD
Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Pierfrancesco Favino and Sergio Castellitto, with Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan
Director: Andrew Adamson
Based on the book by: C.S. Lewis
Screenplay by: Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Producers: Mark Johnson, Andrew Adamson, Philip Steuer
Co-Producer: Douglas Gresham
Executive Producer: Perry Moore

The characters of C.S. Lewis’s timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them.

One year after the incredible events of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1300 years have passed in Narnian time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy.

The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians, led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian, embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.

Directed once again by veteran director Andrew Adamson, screenplay by Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and produced by Mark Johnson, Andrew Adamson and Philip Steuer, the film reunites the original cast and creative team behind the blockbuster first film in the series.

One Liner: The enchanted characters of C.S. Lewis’s timeless fantasy come to life again in this second installment of the seven book series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically and mysteriously transported back from England to Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them.

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